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Keenan Meets With LINCS Providers on Dissemination Strategies

Division of Adult Education and Literacy Director Cheryl Keenan attended the National Institute for Literacy's (NIFL) Oct. 22-24 meeting of Literacy and Information Communication System (LINCS) grantees in Albuquerque, N.M. Keenan's goal was to learn more about how LINCS distributes research-based information on adult education to the field in order to smooth the transition of LINCS to OVAE. Nearly 20 LINCS representatives participated in the meeting. The discussion follows a July meeting sponsored jointly by NIFL and OVAE, which brought 40 adult education practitioners to Washington, D.C. to begin a dialogue about OVAE's national priorities. Dissemination of information was one of those priorities for which OVAE plans to continue to examine strategies in the coming months.

ACE Taps New Vice President and Executive Director of GEDTS

The American Council on Education (ACE) recently announced the appointment of Nicole Chestang as the new vice president and executive director of GED® Testing Service (GEDTS), effective November 2. Chestang most recently served as president of Chestang & Associates and was the chief operating officer and executive vice president-secretary of the Graduate Management Admission Council, sponsor of the Graduate Management Admission Test.

Dropping Out Proves Costly for Students And Taxpayers

Dropping out of high school carries a heavy price not only for students, but also for taxpayers, a new study shows. The study's implied joblessness rate during 2008 of 54 percent nationwide for young high school dropouts was 22 percentage points higher than that of high school graduates, 33 percentage points higher than that of young adults who had completed 1-3 years of postsecondary study, and 41 percentage points higher than that of peers who earned a four-year college degree. Researchers at Northwestern University's Center for Labor Market Studies put the average cost to taxpayers, including incarceration costs, over the working life of each high school dropout at $292,000.

WSC Report Offers Partnership Models for Postsecondary Success

You can find new partnership models for transition programs in a report by the Workforce Strategy Center and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Employers, Young Adults and Postsecondary Credentials: A Practical Typology for Business, Education and Community Leaders. The report offers models for education and training programs involving employers in efforts to help disadvantaged young adults attain postsecondary credentials leading to career track employment. The study identified 14 model programs led by five distinct types of organizations: community-based organizations, community and technical colleges, employers, industry, and social enterprise organizations.

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